Tire Nightmares

CaptainChris

Hey everyone,

I hope you're all enjoying your Labor Day on the water more than we are. We were 20 minutes into our 1.5 hour drive to the lake, when one of our tires lost its tread, taking the wheel guards with them, as well as bending the bracket that they mount to. After limping along to a couple of tire stores and a Tractor Supply, we realized that salvaging the day was a lost cause. It became clear that the trailer that came with our 2001 Hurricane had very old, dry rotted tires on them. The tread was great, but having failed to inspect them better beforehand, besides having no spare, our fun was not to be today. We made it home thankfully, but not before having to remove the wheel/tire because it finally lost all air and was about to completely come apart. We had help from a tire store manager who just couldn't help us because of the type and size of tire, and a gentleman who brought out a jack and a tire iron to help us remove it when we stopped alongside the road by his house, as we could go no further. So we are so glad for the help we received along the way. Thankfully, the Hurricane was spared damage, so I am very happy about that!

I've ordered new tires, as well as a spare. I've sent an email to our Shoreland'r dealer requesting an estimate. Hopefully we'll be back on the water by next weekend. I thought I would share our experience as a helpful nudge to those who might be neglecting to inspect their tires, and just to share experiences in the community. If you've had similar experiences, I'd love to hear them. It would be cathartic. 

Happy boating everyone!

Chris

nquirk

@CaptainChris, thanks for this post.  Its unfortunate that your day on the lake got sidetracked but fortunately you and your family were safe and there was no damage to your boat.

Its a very important message that if it even helps prevent one incident from happening was worth posting.  Too often we take our tow equipment/trailers for granted and end up in unfortunate, and sometimes dangerous situations effecting both ourselves and potential other motorists on the road.

Its good practice to inspect regularly the bearings, tires and tie down equipment we use to haul 1000s of pounds of enjoyment.  As you eluded to....a little time now will save you more time later and keep everyone safe and on the water where we all belong.

Pathfinder22

"trailer that came with our 2001 Hurricane had very old, dry rotted tires"

2001 means your tires were over 12 yrs old which is more than double the life expectancy of boat trailer tires. Trailer tires may appear to have good tread, however they start to decompose over time. I trailer my boats thousands of miles per yr, and 5 years is the max I would expect to use a tire.

IMHO - the best boat trailer tires are either Maxxis 8008 or Kumho 857. I put Tow Master a close 3rd.

cjjjdeck

Very unfortunate, any boat owner would sympathize with you and has similar stories to tell.  Appreciate you sharing the experience.  Most importantly, family and boat are OK.  Luckily it was only one tire, especially if the rest were the same age. Sometimes it is hard to tell if a tire has deteriorated to the point of being unsafe (I've seen many like this, so I understand if you thought the tires "looked" OK), so Pathfinder22's comments about "tire age" are very relevant and important.  This holds true for any trailer or recreational toy that isn't in constant use (That's why they make those tire covers for the RV market, to lower UV exposure to the tires, they're not just for show).

Frankly, when I look at the trailers stored at some of the marinas by me, tires are not the only thing that's neglected on them (most of them look like they belong in a junk yard).  In fact, I was standing near a bunch of them talking to the marina owner one day and I commented on how neglected so many of the trailers are; his comment back was "Nobody takes care of their trailers"!  Well not exactly "nobody", I learned a long time ago to include trailer maintenance annually (on all my trailers). 

 

CaptainChris

Thanks for the comments everyone. I thought I would share this link. Just in case you aren't aware of how to determine the age of your tires, this will show you how. As I've recently learned, age is critical when it comes to tires.

Chris

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

nquirk

Thanks for that link @CaptainChris.  Very informative and great information to have in determine tire age/life 

CaptainChris

Just an update. Got four new tires on the trailer. Plus, I now have a spare wheel/tire. I bought a bottle jack and collapsible lug wrench for emergencies. I'm ready to go. 

Bonus! I think I will be able to save some $$$ on the repairs to the trailer. I was able to bend the mud guard bracket back into shape. Still have some tweaking to do, but it should save some serious parts and labor money! Back on the water this weekend either way! Gonna be a long winter... #Boating #Hurricane

CaptainChris

Sorry. Same picture, twice. The internet here at the hotel is pretty slow. The preview didn't come up right. 

CaptainChris

Pathfinder22 said:

"trailer that came with our 2001 Hurricane had very old, dry rotted tires"

2001 means your tires were over 12 yrs old which is more than double the life expectancy of boat trailer tires. Trailer tires may appear to have good tread, however they start to decompose over time. I trailer my boats thousands of miles per yr, and 5 years is the max I would expect to use a tire.

IMHO - the best boat trailer tires are either Maxxis 8008 or Kumho 857. I put Tow Master a close 3rd.

Pathfinder22, the trailer is a 1999 Shoreland'r. The date stamp was 44th week of 1998. So, basically 15 year old tires. I failed to mention that in the original post. It is somewhat of a miracle I didn't have a failure on the way home from the marina I bought the boat at. I'm not thrilled with the marina on this issue. You would think they'd be proactive with this kind of issue. 

pmracing

Yep, I've did the same thing... One good thing is that that I had a spare on the boat and had another spare on the truck... after changing I went and bought all new tires Ive noticed when one goes the rest go right with them....So now I have 6 new tires and a bent damaged fender I had to bend out...This has happened to me twice so this time I was ready.  Spending the money on the tires are expensive but ruining an off day from work is even worse...